Radio Call Letters

Like the rest of the major cities in the U.S., St. Louis has seen arguments over which station was "first" on the air.

Documentation exists that shows WEW, owned by St. Louis University, actually originated the first "broadcasts," which came
in the form of Morse Code transmissions of weather information in 1913. By 1921, the station was regularly broadcasting
weather information via "radiophone;" that is, using voice.

There are further published reports of voice broadcasting in 1921, with KSD, owned by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, doing an
experimental broadcast of the description of a golf match at the St. Louis Country Club in September, 1921.

By early 1922, there were many amateur efforts at broadcasting, and receivers were being built using plans that were being
published in newspapers. St. Louis saw five radio stations licensed, KSD, WEW, WEB, WAAE and WCK, in the first six months
of the year. All were on the same frequency, 833 kHz (360 meters), and all broadcast sporadically, with some publishing their
programming schedules in local papers.